Gyeonggi Province Market & Commercial District Promotion Agency Listens to Voices from Major Markets Across Nation

[Suwon Ilbo = Reporter Park No-hun] The Gyeonggi Province Market & Commercial District Promotion Agency, a public institution established for the first time in the 7th popularly-elected Gyeonggi Province administration to revitalize small businesses and traditional markets, has decided to divide the nation into six regional zones and visit major traditional markets to strengthen the capacity of its executives and employees. The six zones are Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province, Jeolla Province, Gyeongsang Province, Gangwon Province, and the Seoul Capital Area (Seoul and Incheon).

The first destination was the Jeolla Province region, where 46 executives and employees visited Jeonju Nambu Market, which has succeeded in regional revitalization centered around the Hanok Village, Gwangju Yangdong Covered Market and Chungjangnok shopping street, which were selected for the 2019 Small and Medium Venture Business Ministry's 'Commercial District Revitalization Project,' and 'Gunsan Yeonghwa-dong Alley Commercial District,' an area promoting local currency activation, in sequence.
On the 4th when employees visited Gwangju Yangdong Covered Market, they held a discussion forum with the Gwangju Metropolitan Merchants Federation on revitalization of alley commerce, and subsequently held a discussion forum on the topic of 'Development Direction of Traditional Markets and Alley Commercial Districts' with Gwangju Metropolitan Merchants Federation Chairman Lee Chung-hwan, who accompanied them, and others.
The discussion forum was conducted as part of agency-wide job training to deepen understanding of job duties and enhance sense of mission through the vivid voices of self-employed business owners and small business operators for whom traditional markets and alley commercial districts are their livelihoods.
This was promoted in response to Governor Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province's emphasis on the need to strengthen employee training for capacity improvement including development of merchant organizations at the time of the agency's opening.

The discussion forum was attended by the agency director and all employees of the Gyeonggi Province Market & Commercial District Promotion Agency, Gyeonggi Province Merchants Federation Chairman Lee Chung-hwan, Gwangju Metropolitan Merchants Federation Chairman Son Jung-ho, Yangdong Market Merchants Association Chairman Moon Sang-sik, Namgwangju Market Merchants Association Chairman Son Seung-gi, Chungjangnok Shopping Street Merchants Association Chairman Yeo Geun-su, Yangdong Industrial Supplies Exhibition Hall Park Byeong-gi, Yangdong Dried Seafood Market Merchants Association Chairman Lee Myeong-geun, and Hwajung-dong Seobu Market Merchants Association Chairman Lee Myo-shin.
While presiding over the discussion forum, the agency director said, "The vivid voices we can hear directly from self-employed business owners and small business operators in Gyeonggi Province and throughout the nation will be of great help in improving our employees' job capabilities and in carrying out various support policy projects."
Federation Chairman Son Jung-ho said, "You must visit the markets and hear directly from merchants about their difficulties," and added, "I hope the Gyeonggi Province Market & Commercial District Promotion Agency will serve as a good model, and dedicated agencies for revitalization of local commercial districts will be established in Gwangju and throughout the nation."

Beginning with this on-site visit and discussion forum, the agency plans to apply 'voices from the field' listening education by the six national regional zones, 'legal and public institution essential education,' and the CoP (Community Of Practice: practical community learning study group) system, which companies have recently adopted, to traditional markets throughout Gyeonggi Province.